The real turth or confusion about cholesterol.

normal my numbers -100 LDL tiny particles( bad) 123 High -100 VLDL even worse than LDL contains triglycerides 13 very low +39 HDL good Cholesterol (cleans out bad) +88 very good -136 Total non HDL cholesterol on test LDL+VLDL 136 high -4.5 Ratio 2.5 lowTo get the ratio add LDL+VLDL+HDL 123+13+88=divide by HDL 88 +2.54 ratio Which good.Notice that VLDL the worst cholesterol, contains triglycerides This is from Mayo Clinic. If they don't have it right the medical profession doesn't have it right.Mayo Clinic says to lower your cholesterol, exercise and eat a low fat diet (which I say would behigh in carbs) They also say that to eat soluble fiber like oatmeal. at least 1 1/2 cups will lower cholesterol. 1 1/2 cups oatmeal raises blood sugar pretty high as does a low fat diet.So they are saying that diabetics are prone to heart disease, so give them a statin, the diet they recommend makes diabetes worse, so give them diabetes drugs which cause heart disease.It looks like a double whammy to me.The soluble fiber is a good idea as it does lower cholesterol, but your must get it from foods that don't raise blood sugar at the same time. Flax seed is good. I use a lot of it. HI maize 260 is a soluble fiber as is Inulin, they do not raise blood sugar but do lower bad cholesterol. That is one of the reasons I use it. Exercise is very important too. So exercise and soluble fiber that doesn't raise blood sugar is my secret. My arteries are not clogged even after many years of diabetes.And I have never taken a statin. I have heart disease in my family, but I don't have it.

Hi Sopies Grandma,Statins are drugs commonly given to diabetics to lower cholesterol and protect the heart. They have different names but they are all called statins. They cause problems with the liver and muscles. Not all diabetics have bad cholesterol numbers, but they are often given statinjust because they have diabetes. It has also come under question as to the effectiveness in protecting the heart.

Sopies Granda Get the blood test results and learn what the numbers mean. They try to give every diabetic statins whether they need them or not. Once you understand what the numbers mean you can choose for yourself.

http://www.hughcalc.org/chol.phpmath is hard ,,, let this calculator do the work for you:http://www.hughcalc.org/chol.phpand as most standard lipid panels do not include the estimate of VLD you can calculate it by subtracting LDL from the total "non-HDL" estimate.My reading has led me to believe that the most important ratio is the triglycerides/HDL ratio.

I love this calculator. It gives me a much clearer picture of what is going on and I have a lot more confidence about telling my doctor "no" when it comes to taking statins. She really needs to leave me alone about it.

I agree with you. Doctors don't seem to know what to do with triglycerides.If triglycerides are part of the VLDL and they are the worst kind of cholesterol, it would make sense to pay more attention to them. Also they don't have a handle on the fact that it is carbohydrates not fat that causestriglycerides to rise and causes fat around the belly which leads to type 2 diabetes. What is your ratio based on what I wrote in the discussion. Spell the formula out for me because I keep forgetting it. Thanks.

Hi SteveThat is not how they do it on lab reports. Although you may be correct, others aren't going to see that on their lab report. On the report, the LDL, VLDL and HDL are added than divided by the HDL. So mine is 2.5. Anything below 4.5 is considered good. I have never seen it done as you do it. .33 is never on my lab report.

the ratio I gave you is your Triglycerides to HDl … NOT Total Cholesterol to HDL which is your 2.5.Many studies have found that the triglyceride/HDL cholesterol ratio correlates strongly with the incidence and extent of coronary artery disease.Lab reports vary … mine do not show any ratios just the numbers.I rely on that calculator that I linked above for more meaningful ratios.For a real in depth look at cholesterol you might consider reading Dr. Attia's 9-part series of blog posts "The Straight Dope On Cholesterol" that starts here: http://bit.ly/1BXsyMN(some chemistry knowledge makes it easier to understand)

Hi Steve,I saved the link and will read it a little later. Thanks. I have never seen it put like that, but had a hunch that triglycerides played a bigger role than was credited to it.The increase heart disease seems to parallel the increased carbohydrate consumption.